Over £3m raised for Scotland’s children

The Scottish Children’s Lottery has achieved another fantastic landmark figure, with £3 million now raised to support children in every corner of Scotland.

The funding generated by the charitable lottery supports children and young people’s charities working in all 32 local authorities, with a focus on four key areas: early years’ intervention, education and health, employment skills and employability, and community development and citizenship.

To celebrate the achievement, the Scottish Children’s Lottery visited Edinburgh charity The Yard, which provides creative play experiences for disabled children and young people, to meet with some of the families that will benefit from the support.

Kirsteen Campbell is a trustee of Chance to Connect, which operates as a society lottery under the Scottish Children’s Lottery. She said:

“To have raised as much as £3 million for charities in Scotland is just fantastic and I’m delighted that our support is now reaching every local authority in the country.

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“We are very grateful to those who play the Scottish Children’s Lottery – thanks to their generosity we can continue to support good causes and help give as many children as possible the very best start in life.”

Since the launch of the Scottish Children’s Lottery in 2016, nearly 200 awards ranging from £1,000 to £50,000 have been distributed to support the development and potential of children and young people in Scotland.

Some of the charities supported by the Scottish Children’s Lottery in 2018 include:

The Yard provides creative adventure play experiences that encourage disabled children and young people to have fun, take risks and build friendships. The charity also supports families by offering information, advice and a place to relax – always without judgement. With an ethos of child-centred and child-led play, The Yard supports over 1000 families across the east of Scotland.

Moving On Employment Project in Shetland (£20,000)

The Shetland charity provides employability support and helps individuals build up their confidence, skills and knowledge. With a growing demand for support for young people in Shetland, including those with learning difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and those who are looked after, the award from the Scottish Children’s Lottery will help fund the charity’s Transition service, which supports young people with additional support needs in the local community.

Balivanich Community Leisure Area Group on the Isle of Benbecula (£21,653)

Located in the rural and remote town of Balivanich in the Western Isles, the charity is committed to replacing the equipment at the local play park, which is over ten years old and the only play facility in the area. The funding from the Scottish Children’s Lottery will help provide local children, young people and families with a safe, stimulating and well-equipped space to play and develop, improving their overall health and wellbeing.

Home-Start Wigtownshire in Dumfries & Galloway (£15,204)

The Stranraer-based charity offers support to families with children under the age of five, who may be going through difficult times due to physical illness, mental health issues, postnatal illness, disability and social or geographical isolation. The Scottish Children’s Lottery funding will help the charity offer practical and emotional support to local families throughout Wigtownshire.

Belville Community Garden Trust in Greenock (£24,000)

After years of campaigning from residents, this space is an open-access, urban growing facility, teaching food growing skills, cookery and construction to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and acting as a first stepping stone to employability. The grant from the Scottish Children’s Lottery will allow the charity to continue to offer long-term placements to young people, and work with local schools to create an exciting outdoor growing space.

Charities that support children in Scotland can apply online for Scottish Children’s Lottery funding.